The spectre of Death hangs over the Wargate, and we wouldn't want it any other way! Armies and Warbands gather, hordes of gun and knife wielding gangs muster in the shadows, and the commotion around the game table is at an all time high! This last weekend we had an awesome day for our Mordheim campaign Death in the Delve, and we're going to be finishing up Round 1 of the Campaign in the next few weeks!
With all these minis swarming around the 'gate, I thought it would be a good time to share with you my thoughts on a truly important issue - protection for your investment (little plastic men).
Cases! Figure Cases! Yeah, so you keep yours in a shoebox, and it's perfectly serviceable. It always makes me cringe when I see a fifty dollar model languishing in a mass grave, in a box full of other miniatures that have either been discarded or forgotten. With as much money as you spend on the model I'd think you'd have a vested interest in making sure they were at least always where you can find them, and if they are painted...why wouldn't you go to extra lengths to maintain that work which you have so finely wrought?
Thankfully, there are plenty of options.
Here we have the ubiquitous Games Workshop Figure Case. Pictured is the Army Case, but it comes in several flavors on the Games Workshop website. This case is about $100, and you can get half size versions of it for half that price. The Monster Case is nice for very large models, and for storing infantry the Citadel Figure Case can hold something like 88 troopers that are standard size.
There are a variety of cases made by companies like Sabol Design's Army Transport. This range has pretty much all you could ask for, and with stylish outer casing - really great if you're moving around a lot and must transport your army to every venue. These cases can get really expensive, but are very high quality.
Another great option in this category is Battlefoam, a company who can produce custom designs for your figure trays. Again, this is in the 'expensive' category, but I do recommend getting at least one of these systems for official events and also because they are very cool.
Here at the Wargate, we have a LOT of models laying around in various stages of composition from unconstructed and unpainted to half painted and fully lacquered. LOTS of miniatures, for lots of various games. It must be said that we've not been able to keep up with certain concerns of protecting miniatures with lavish and expensive cases, but we do have a very nice system that is cheap and addresses our true concern.
Lack of space.
Above is a selection of miniature cases here at the Wargate, which the astute among you will note are simply fishing tackle cases. These can be bought from the nearest store for around $5. The amount of miniatures each will hold is different depending on the composition of the case, but you can do about 1000 points per case. They come in various sizes, so you can get the exact cases you need to house your armies.
If you take some insulation foam and line the cases with pieces cut with an exacto blade, you can get a secure home for your model. Above are a few cases that have recently been cut for Joe's Eldar army, and they fit quite snug in there with minimal jostling around.
They won't stand up to being thrown from a second story window, but hey - they are $5 bucks and are quite small. We have a huge stack of them here, and it's growing. For storage, you can't beat these awesome cases - but for long distance transport to a tournament or other high-energy congregation you might want to get one of the more expensive brands up above.
Anyways, that's enough from me for now. Get cases for all your forces! 40k and Warhammer Armies, Necromunda Gangs, Legions of Middle Earth and Mordheim Warbands all deserve nice cases. They can help you keep your armies straight also, so you can stop worrying about your composition and logistics and get into the fight!
Protect your hobby tools and concentrate on your tactics!
No comments:
Post a Comment